Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1887-10-08
TERRIBLE SCENES in LONDON.

IEhhl BILE SIENES INV LUNDUN.
Stories have been told for days
past Of unhappy wretches sleeping
by dozens upon the stones for lack
of lodging, and it seemed that the
few reports published Of the matter
must have been colored by strong
imaginations. I visited Trafalgar
Square this morning at halfpast
two, upon leaving the House OF
Commons, and learned that the &C.
counts which had read gave but a
weak idea of the real condition Of
affairs. 1t was bleak night, with
thin, cold rain DRILLING down at in
tervals, and the air was full of
dampness. At q distance Of the
huge square, all paved with stone
and ill-lighted, appeared deserted,
rht everything changed on nearer
acquaintance, and it became evident
that from his majestic column shoot
ing high up into the air onearmed
figure of Nelson looked down upon
a huge emcampment ofdegradatlon,
filth and poverty. Not less than a
thousand miserable human beings
were crowded together on the damp
stones of the square. A dozen or
twenty men, clinging, it seemed, to
cleanliness in their poverty, were
gathered around the edge of the big
fountains, washing themselves or
their belongings. One man, rather
old, stood naked to the waste wash
ing his shirt. When | left he was
still naked, alternately wringing his
shirt aud hanging it up to dry, try
ing all sorts of devices to protect it
from the misty rain. A young man
having stripped himself quite naked,
was taking complete bath, but a
prudence, wise in such company,
kept him ever close to the edge of
his stone tub, with his scanty raj
ment held firmly in his grasp.
Those who INDUCED in foot baths
were many. The approved plan
appeared to be for the bather to
remove his shoes if he had any
stockings of any sort seemed out of
the question-and to take up as
comfortable position as possible on
the edge of the basis, and, with
trousers or shirts held up, to allow
the feet to dangle in the water I'M.
til swelling and pain should have
ceased to worry by sheer process of
freezing.
An example of industry and resig-
nation was afforded by an old wo-
man and her husband, sitting side
by side under one of the few lights.
The old woman was hard at work
mending something. The old man,
who sat very quiet, had his legs
wrapped up in bits of newspaper
fastened here and there with strings.
1t was the garment that should have
held the place of the newspapers,
and which is so absolutely indispen-
sable in the daytime, upon which
the old mans companion was work
ing SO industriously, while night pro-
tccted her husband and made news
paper substitutes possible.
have said that reports read by
me of this den of misery failed to
give any true idea of it. That
which | have written fails as COM
pletely to do so. To know the pre-
sent wretchedness of the London
poor, and to gain an idea of what it
will be with the cold winter added,
it was necessary to look upon that
horrible crowd of men and women,
every one in the last stages Of pow
erty, lacking in everything that
makes life bearable, and without
any hope but in disorder or outrage
Of some sort that might enable them
to seize upon share of the wealth
piled up to tempt them on every
side. There will be labor troubles
here this winter, unless some radical
step be taken, and it will need no
very clever argument to persuade
poor devils with empty stomachs
and cold limbs that society owes
them something more than that
which it has now given them.-Lon-
don Cable to Neao York San,